To the editor:

Last week's Phoenix contained a letter to the editor claiming that monuments in town dedicated to soldiers who died in the civil war were sufficient to memorialize slaves who died during the darkest days of Bristol's history. Not only was this a stretch, but in no way did the civil war soldiers endure what Bristol's slaves endured. The slaves were hunted down like wild animals, chained up in horrible conditions, and once they no longer had the physical capabilities to do their work, were left to die a slow and painful death.

The involvement in the slave trade of some of Bristol's most prominent citizens, including a number of its founders, was inhumane and abhorrent, and should never be trivialized or forgotten. While it may be painful to recall, a dedicated monument to those who endured and perished in Bristol's slave trade would ensure that our future generations will always be aware of Bristol's notorious participation in the slave trade and would provide a lasting memorial to those innocent victims.

And I would actually like to see things go one step further, and have our school committee require that educating our students about the horrors of Bristol's participation in the slave trade become a required part of the educational curriculum. While we can't re-write history, we can and should do more to honor Bristol's victims of the slave trade.

Mike Proto
245 Chestnut St.